Sharon offers concessions before talks

By Molly Moore in JerusalemMay 31 2003

Israel will ease restrictions on Palestinian travel and begin a gradual withdrawal of troops from some areas of the Gaza Strip and West Bank in return for serious efforts by the Palestinian leadership to uproot and dismantle terrorist organisations.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, met for the second time in two weeks on Thursday evening in what was described as a "positive" effort to lay the groundwork for a summit with President George Bush next week in Jordan.

The US-sponsored peace plan lays out a series of steps both sides should take that would bring about peace and lead to the creation of a Palestinian state in 2005.

Just hours before the meeting with Mr Abbas, Mr Sharon said in a televised address marking Jerusalem Day that Israel "will never let go of Jerusalem! Never!"

He told Mr Abbas during the talks that he would take some measures "immediately" to ease conditions for Palestinians who have been confined to their villages and cities for months, but said most of Israel's actions are contingent on Mr Abbas's ability to "act decisively to stop terrorism . . . dismantling terrorist organisations, arresting terrorists, confiscating illegal weapons, stopping incitement and creating an atmosphere of peace".");document.write("

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Israel's easing of restrictions will mean some Palestinians can return to their jobs inside Israel, and the release of some Palestinian prisoners and others being held without charge in administrative detention.

The Palestinian Information Minister, Nabil Amr, described those measures as "a genuine effort" by Israel to improve the lives of Palestinians. But, he added, "These measure are not alternatives to the basics, like removing the occupation and ending settlements."

Israeli military forces have destroyed most of the Palestinian security infrastructure in the West Bank during the 32-month-long intifada. Mr Sharon indicated he recognised Mr Abbas could not rebuild his security forces overnight, Dore Gold, an adviser to Mr Sharon, said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bush said that he was determined to see the latest peace initiative through to the end.

He also warned that expanding Israeli settlements ran counter to efforts to end the conflict.

"I am absolutely determined to carry on to the bitter end because US foreign policy is not limited to defending its own interests . . . we want peace," Mr Bush said on Thursday.

"This region will only have peace if it has freedom. For the Palestinians, this means the creation of a state. A Palestinian state must be viable. The expansion of [Israeli] settlements is a contradiction to our efforts to create a Palestinian state."

Mr Bush also said he was ready to put pressure on Mr Sharon to make sure the peace plan works, but also stressed that Mr Abbas must commit to fighting terrorism. "Yasser Arafat had every opportunity of leading his people to peace. But he did nothing," Mr Bush said of the Palestinian leader, whom he wants sidelined in the new push for peace.

Mr Arafat offered to implement the US-backed peace road map "immediately" following the meeting. Mr Abbas's delegation went directly to Mr Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah to brief him on the meeting.